Motoo

Motoo is a masculine given name of Japanese origin. In Japanese, names are written with kanji, and the meaning of Motoo varies with the chosen characters; common elements might convey ideas of origin, foundation, or strength. The name is primarily used in Japan and among Japanese communities abroad, and it is one of several traditional masculine names that can be romanized as Motoo.

Notable bearers include Motoo Kimura (1924–1994), a prominent Japanese evolutionary biologist who proposed the neutral theory of molecular evolution. The theory posits that the majority of evolutionary changes at the molecular level are driven by drift of neutral mutations rather than by natural selection, a concept that significantly influenced population genetics and molecular evolution research.

Due to variations in kanji, the meaning of Motoo is not fixed; different spellings may exist in romanization, and some names may be written with alternative kanji forms that produce different nuances. The name is considered traditional in Japan, though not among the most common contemporary choices.